With Roses Be Dight
by Minstrel Knight
Summary: AU. For those who like a completely new spin to the classic tale. The Potters live but tragedy still finds them. Harry is raised by Tom Bombadil. Follows the fate of Potter, Malfoy, Greengrass and Weasley families and a unicorn called Dia. Pairings later.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note:** Some will hate me for posting yet another story instead of continuing with Mage and Warrior. Sorry. I write as and what I like writing, and though I have written bits and pieces of many later chapters of Mage and Warrior, the current chapter is giving me a lot of headache, just being problematic. Began writing this as a sort of cure to my writer's block...

**Pairings:** None as this story is pre-Hogwarts. There will be Harry-AstoriaGreengrass friendship, yeah, I know it is new.

**Disclaimer:** The story and most characters are property of JKR. There are two characters that belong to Tolkien rather than Rowling, however - Tom Bombadil and Goldberry.

**With Roses Be Dight**

**Prologue**

Rain poured from above in a rhythmic clatter, and the thick window pane faced the full brunt of the wet attack. The solitary occupant of the warm room gazed outside, his head heavy with stress and fatigue. He pushed the window, opening it slightly and took a deep breath, relishing the cool breeze that brushed against his face. He smiled at his sudden connection with nature and rubbed his forehead wearily. Dark clouds had gathered above, not unusual for that time of the year, and surrounded by cutting droplets of rain, the red and brown colors of autumn were settled in lethargic contentment. He took a deep breath, forming cloud on the glass pane, and completely out of habit, he raised his fingers up and traced his standard signature, a heart with the initials JP and LE scribbled inside.

He jumped out of his reverie when a hand touched his shoulder. Lost in a daze, he had failed to notice the arrival of a newcomer.

"She'll be all right, Prongs!" spoke a shaggy dark haired man, lifting his hand from the other's shoulder. "And it's not as if she hasn't had experience on delivering a child."

That shook him out of his stupor completely. Turning with intensity, he clutched the other person firmly by the collar and snapped, "What are you doing here, Sirius! You were supposed to stay with Harry!" His face contorted painfully and he squeezed his throbbing forehead. "Don't tell me you brought him to the hospital! Oh Merlin, if Lily finds out, she…"

"Relax, buddy. Harry is safe," said Sirius Black with a weak smile, attempting to assuage his friend. "Moony stopped by and is playing wolf and cub with Harry. He'll be fine and I thought you could do with some company… James, what's wrong?"

But James didn't respond. His face twisted with horror and anguish as he took a backward step. With an alarmed gasp, he turned around and ran to the door. But before he could reach it, it was thrown open from the other side and an orderly approached him and said urgently, "The Caesarian surgery is over, Mr. Potter. Your wife wishes to see you."

James froze. The orderly's face and tone was grave as if foretelling a dire situation. James stifled his pain and turned to Sirius. His voice held little evidence of the surmounting anxiety that was visible in the creases of his forehead as he spoke in a rushed whisper. "Go back to the Hollow, Sirius, and stay with Harry. I don't want Remus to be alone with him."

"James?" asked Sirius in confusion.

"Look," James said with a frustrated frown, "I don't have time to explain. Dumbledore came to us one day and ordered us to give Harry to him for his own safety, the senile old fool said. He claims to know some prophecy or other. When we refused, he said he would have to take matters to his own hands, for his usual greater good. Look, I love Remus as a brother, but you know how he sees Dumbledore. Please Sirius, I beg you to go back. Lily needs me right now. Please stay with my son."

Sirius felt a cold shiver strike against his spine at the fear and worry in his friend's voice. James Potter rarely ever lost control before anyone, he was one of the strongest individuals Sirius knew personally, and seeing him so vulnerable was unnerving. Sirius barely managed a nod before James rushed to his wife.

--

An unusual group of people were gathered, albeit hidden from each other, in a serene and peaceful neighborhood in Surrey. The sound of rain beating down with vehemence sheltered conversations from unwanted ears. A man emerged from the shadows and looked around. He held a bundle in his arms securely and with much gentleness, as if sheltering the bundle from the rain with his own body. He walked to a corner where another man was standing, sheltered beneath a tree and handed him the bundle.

The bundle jerked and a baby's face became visible, and as if aware of the fate that was being bestowed upon him, he started crying. Tiny fingers emerged from the blue sheets and pulled grey hair from the beard of the man who had just taken him.

"No Harry," said the grey-bearded man calmly after chuckling at the baby's actions. "My beard is not a toy."

"Albus," the other man began hesitatingly. He appeared uncertain of what to ask but his companion took care of his anxiousness by smiling with kind eyes full of warmth.

"You have done well, my boy," said Albus Dumbledore, as he held Harry Potter securely in his aged arms. "Harry's safety is of prime importance. Here in the muggle world, he will thrive, away from prying eyes of those who mean him harm." He patted the boy's forehead and turned to his companion. "I am sorry for putting you in such a position, Remus, and it pains me that Lily and James do not trust me as they once used to. But please understand the utmost importance of this task."

"Albus, I do not understand what you wish to achieve," said Remus Lupin after a pause. "You do realize that Lily will eventually return to the Hollow and find her son missing, and she knows where you wished to send Harry. Privet Drive will face her wrath before you and I."

But Albus Dumbledore smiled kindly, his eyes bright with humor from behind his crescent shaped spectacles. "I will take care of that, Remus. Do not worry. The wards will keep out anyone who intends to remove Harry from his new home." So saying, he stepped out into the rain with the baby's head jutting out of his sheets and walked towards a specific house. He stopped midway and turned to Remus Lupin and said, "Thank you again, Remus. It is heartening to know that there are other people willing to put aside their own interests and selflessly rise to fight for all that is holy and good." He waited as his companion took his words as a dismissal and departed. With a contented smile, Albus Dumbledore conjured a basket and placed the baby inside and walked towards the door of Number Four, Privet Drive.

Unknown to Albus Dumbledore, he wasn't the only person lurking around in that quiet and untoward neighborhood. Crimson eyes followed the movements of the Headmaster of Hogwarts as he placed the toddler in front of the door. Lord Voldemort stood still and unmoving in the shadows, biding his time. His spy had brought news from within Dumbledore's innermost council and he knew what he had to do. The prophesized child had to be dealt with to ascertain his power. Lord Voldemort was prepared to murder a fifteen month old boy. But he wasn't prepared to duel Albus Dumbledore himself.

Standing next to Voldemort were the regal forms of his two most loyal followers. One stood a few steps behind. His mask had been removed and pale grey eyes stared at the scene unfold in the dark shadows of the night. The Death Eater stared at the son of his one-time nemesis with apathy. He had many regrets in his life but this wasn't one of them. He remembered the boy's parents. His eyes fell on his other companion.

Silver hair was the sole identifying feature of Lord Voldemort's right hand, his face hidden behind a mask. And it was sufficient. Lucius Malfoy also observed the movement of Albus Dumbledore. He also observed the reaction of the man he had pledged himself to. For an instant, regret and horror flickered through his eyes, hidden beneath his mask. Despite the rain, the baby's wails carried to his ears and he felt revulsion in his heart. A revulsion that was aimed solely at himself. He nearly sighed but caught himself in time just as Lord Voldemort made his move after seeing Albus Dumbledore apparate away.

"My Lord," he began uneasily, breaking the long spell of silence and enduring the wrathful eyes of the Dark Lord. "Forgive me for my directness."

"Speak swiftly," came the sharp command.

Lucius Malfoy was a brave man. Despite what others might think of Death Eaters, it wasn't an easy task for Lucius Malfoy, not after he became disillusioned with the vision that he was promised. He was the lord of a noble family, and murdering innocent children, regardless of their being heir to prominent pureblood families was never his intent. His eyes flickered towards the cold demeanor of Severus Snape and found no assistance, no support. He sighed and spoke. "Perhaps we could raise the boy instead of killing him. My son is of his age and…"

"You dare question my authority, Lucius?" the Dark Lord hissed sharply, his voice piercing through the rain filled night like steel through butter.

Lucius Malfoy took a step back and shivered. "Forgive me, My Lord. The Potters are an ancient family. It would be a pity for them to…"

"Silence!" came the swift command from Lord Voldemort as he took a step towards the basket with the boy. "Do you think I would care if the entire Potter clan vanished without a trace. You will be punished for this interruption, Lucius. Be glad that right now I have a more important task to perform."

_'Like killing an innocent baby,'_ the thought permeated Lucius and he lowered his eyes. He then made a decision. Pureblood supremacy must be achieved through other means, not via the insanity of Lord Voldemort. He made a decision. He would save Harry Potter. He fingered his wand deftly but before he could make a move, he was struck with a soundless petrifying curse and Severus Snape marched towards the Dark Lord. Shock and rage filled Lucius Malfoy's head as he tried to make sense of Snape's actions.

"Ah Severus," called out the Dark Lord. "I see your Legilimency is as effective as ever. A pity about Lucius, he was a good tool while he could be used but his woefully loud treacherous thoughts were beginning to annoy me."

"I live to serve, My Lord," said Severus Snape with perfect poise. He reached within his robes and brought out a vial of black liquid.

"You seek to avenge yourself of James Potter by burning the insides of his son," Voldemort remarked gleefully on recognizing the potion for what it was. "You interest me, Severus. Do proceed."

With a curt nod, Snape walked towards the patio of the house, his robes billowing in the wind, creating an aura of darkness and malice that resonated in the presence of the Dark Lord. Severus Snape was ready for his greatest condemnation. With a smirk, he looked at the innocent face of the baby, staring at him through the eyes of Lily Potter. He repressed the urge to tear the messy mane of dark hair that was so reminiscent of his childhood tormentor and tilted the vial to the baby's mouth.

Lord Voldemort waited eagerly for the screams to resound but after several long moments of silence, a sudden fear grabbed his heart. His eyes flashed with rage at the Potions Master and he screamed, "What have you done?"

Snape smirked maliciously at the Dark Lord and sent a silent telepathic message to Lucius Malfoy before fixing his attention back on Lord Voldemort. "I condemn you, Tom Marvolo Riddle. Die." With his final proclamation, he whipped his wand out. But he had barely raised his wand to his foe's level when a jet of green light filled his vision.

Had Tom Riddle, the Dark Lord, cared to observe the dying smirk on Severus Snape's face, he might have proceeded with greater caution than he eventually did. But his betrayer had barely fallen before he turned his attention to Harry Potter and flicked his wand downwards.

Lucius Malfoy had been released from his petrified state following Severus Snape's death but he made no movement to come between the Dark Lord and his prey. The honor of saving the boy's life would not be his. Snape had seen to it. He turned his back to the Dark Lord and apparated away, recalling the final somber message of Severus Snape, _'The boy is immune to the Killing Curse. It is a potion I created. All it needs is a willing sacrifice. The curse will rebound on the fool.'_

--

James Potter looked forlornly at the frail and sickly form of his daughter. Her eyes were closed and her lips raised. But what bothered him most was the lack of movement from the baby and the absence of any sign of life. He looked with pained eyes at his wife's face and his heart constricted. Lily's eyes were dulled and devoid of any emotion. She tenderly clutched her baby, but in her gaze James was confirmed of the healer's grave proclamation outside the room. James had hoped to walk in and discover a mistake, a miracle, anything that would fill the hollowness in his heart, but to little avail. With both hands, he slowly reached for his wife and stillborn daughter.

Lily blanched at James' touch and clutched the baby closer to her heart. "No!" she shouted, slapping James' hand away. "She's just sleeping!" And then she turned emphatically to the baby and begged, "Why don't you wake up, sweetheart? Mummy wants to see you smile. Please wake up."

James sighed but didn't withdraw his hand from around his wife. After a few moments, his wife turned to his shoulder and wept against it. Sitting next to her on the bed, he wrapped his arms around her protectively, his gaze often turning to the lifeless baby on her lap, the daughter he could never have. He kissed his wife's head and patted her back consolingly.

For the next three hours, the husband comforted his grieving wife, pushing aside his own sorrow for the time being. But he did permit himself one slight indulgence by kissing his daughter's forehead for the first and only time, and whispering her name in her unhearing ear, "Diana Rhys Potter, beloved daughter, may she rest in peace."

Then he turned his attention back to his hysterical wife and kissed her brows. After a long time, Lily spoke again, but it wasn't to James that her words were directed. "Have you brought Harry with you, Sirius? I need my son."

With sinking spirits James turned his head and saw the horrified and tearful face of Sirius Black standing at the door. He was trembling and held himself with the support of the door handle. Fury rose within James and in less than a blink of an eye, he had grabbed Sirius by his collar, staring intently at his eyes, silently confirming his worst fears. Unwittingly, James' grip had tightened. He couldn't bear the thought of losing both his children at once. His head pounded heavily and every fiber of his being raged with fury but seeing the pain and grief in his friend's face, James forced himself to release his fingers and he turned around. His gaze fell on Lily and he felt as if a mountain had been dropped over his heart. Once again, he closed his eyes and tried to ebb his grief away. He had to be strong for his wife.

"Where is my son?"

James opened his eyes and saw alarm, fear and anger in his wife's face, all at once, twisted and contorted beyond anything he had ever seen in her face. He closed his eyes again and allowed Sirius to explain.

"I-I-I-," Sirius Black stammered, unable to look at either of the grieving parents directly. "Merlin! I'm so sorry! This is all my fault! I should never have left him with Remus! I will kill that bastard!" Sirius turned around and was about to leave when James' firm grip fell on his shoulder. Sirius prayed for the first time in his adult life. He prayed to gods he never knew existed, and his prayer was simple, 'Please hit me. Please hit me. Please hit me but don't hate me.' But his prayers weren't answered.

"Go to Little Whinging, Surrey. There is a block of houses on a street called…"

"Privet Drive," muttered Sirius Black in distress. "I-I went there! I bloody tore apart your house to find the address. He's not there, James! He's not there! That oaf Petunia married left him in some back alley! I tried so hard to find him! He's not there, anywhere!" By the end of his statement, Sirius Black's voice had attained a shrill pitch and was so loud that several orderlies came to see if everything was all right.

While James dealt with the orderlies, Sirius Black collapsed on a chair amidst torrents of tears. James observed Sirius quietly. Though he was furious with the man, he didn't have the heart to voice his displeasure. But he couldn't deal with having to look after yet another hysterical person, not with Lily's needs. The thought of his wife made him turn around and the sight made him freeze. Lily was no longer in bed.

"Lily?" James called out uncertainly, darting his head in all directions. Looking at the bed again, he saw that his stillborn daughter had also disappeared. He weakly stumbled forward.

"She always did have a quiet Apparition," Sirius commented, wiping his tears and getting up. "I don't know how I can make up and I know I don't deserve forgiveness, but I will do anything to find Harry."

"I know," stated James plainly. "Go to Longbottom Manor and tell Frank and Alice. Dumbledore tried to attempt something with their son as well. Also… also ask Alice if… if she wouldn't mind having us over at their place for a few days. I can't stomach the thought of returning home without my children."

"You know my place is always open to you," Sirius commented before fading from view.

James sighed sadly and dug a few galleons from his coin bag to settle their medical bills. _'If only I could stomach the thought of being near you, Padfoot,'_ he thought sadly as he departed from St. Mungo's and went in search for his wife and son.

--

However, Dumbledore and Voldemort weren't the only two powers that were present and involved in a fifteen month old baby's fate that night in the peaceful and ordinary neighborhood of Privet Drive.

A tall and spry, for lack of a better word, man, had been walking around civilized regions of the country. His own home, on the other hand, was an untamed and wild patch of earth where he had his modest cottage. In there, he lived with his wife and rarely did either venture beyond their boundaries. So one might say that it was perhaps chance that brought the blue coated man to Little Whinging the same night as Harry Potter, Albus Dumbledore and Lord Voldemort. Then again, perhaps it was fate.

As he walked, or rather hopped along in merry strides, he hummed to himself:

"Hey! Come, merry dol! Derry dol, my darling!  
Light goes the weathered wind and the feathered starling!  
Down along cobbled streets, shining in the moonlight!  
Tom's in a hurry now, for dawn will follow the night!"

He halted abruptly on seeing a flash of green light at a distance and shook his head. The light was green but to him it appeared an ugly crimson. Bloodshed, hate and greed, three things that were rampant in the outside world that he cared little about. But then he saw something he hadn't expected and nearly gasped.

"Oh my! Many a long year has Tom been gone!  
That blood comes to him first when it comes not alone!  
Whose soul is it, so selflessly guarding, so pure, so strong!  
Fear not, child, in death you'll survive for ever long!  
Tom has spoken now, Tom old Tom Bomdadillo!  
Go and rest now, leave thy task to Tom! You can go!"

The hermit called Tom Bombadil walked towards the scene of disturbance with a rare grim expression on his face, for as he approached the place, he saw a stout man pick a basket carrying a child, and along with it, the corpse of a hideous looking man, and dragged them both towards a monstrosity, which he knew to be a modern chariot called 'automobile'.

Tom shook his head and followed after the car with his long strides, often stopping by to allow the soul that guarded the infant to guide him. He moved through roads and paths he never desired to see again, as the moon began its downward descent, making way for the daily advent of the sun. Tom made haste, not even pausing to think of a song to fit his new activity, for there was little time to waste, even for the master of wood, water and hill. Finally, he reached a dark and dingy alley with a foul stench, the basket carrying the boy had been stashed away in there, while the corpse was taken elsewhere. Tom cared little for corpses of men who tried to kill innocent children and slowly walked towards the basket. Before he reached, however, he stopped and gasped.

"Tom, what is this that you see before you?  
One child marked by a fell doom, a curse so true!  
Her sister gave up her life, before her brother lay!  
Lost child, I speak to thee, your time is at bay!  
Your brother lies before you, come back to the ring!  
Tom Bomb calls you back, in his hut you will sing!"

Tom sighed when a white dome of light encircled around the boy. With his eyes not bound by the limitations of humans, he could perceive what happened within the dome, but he chose not to speak of it. Instead, he smiled serenely, knowing that perhaps the day that he had been waiting for since his arrival in the world had at last arrived. His smile, always a ready feature in his merry face, perhaps became even wider than ever when the dome cleared and the basket returned in sight. Only this time, the child wasn't in the basket but outside. And he wasn't alone. Curled against each other, Tom smiled as he saw a sight never seen before and never to be seen again, were a human child and a baby unicorn, their heads against each other. It was a sight that personified innocence and tenderness and Tom smiled.

With a chuckle, Tom took a long stride and picked up the boy and the unicorn in either hand, and resumed his humming, as he went about his way.

"Old Tom Bombadil is a merry fellow!  
Bright blue his jacket is, and his boots are yellow!  
None has ever caught him yet, for Tom, he is the master!  
But perhaps his time is up now, for now he is a father!"

--


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

The morning sun made its presence felt and sent waves of mild daylight through the windows in the master bedroom of the Potter household. James Potter blinked twice when bright light fell on his closed eyelids and slowly, his eyes opened to trace the hairline of his wife, who was settled protectively in his grasp and his heart wrenched in pain at the new strands of grey that had appeared within the lustrous red. He reached forward and rested his lips on her head as his hands gently massaged her back.

"It is morning, sweetheart," said James quietly when his wife's body started moving against him. He cupped his hand against the back of her head when he felt a dampness in his collar and comforted his crying wife in silence.

Three years had passed since the loss of his two children. Three painful and agonizing years that started each morning with the same ritual. For James, it had been a horrible sight when he walked into the house of his sister-in-law and saw Lily pounding her sister's husband with her bare hands while her sister was crouched in a corner, crying at the sight of her stillborn niece. On finding out what Vernon Dursley had done to his son, James had lost his tremendous self control and had his wand drawn out. The words of an Unforgivable Curse were at the tip of his tongue when Frank and Alice Longbottom had arrived and saved the Dursleys from the Potter and the Potters from themselves. They owed much to the Longbottoms.

But James forced himself to get up and face another day of work and grief. Coming out of the shower, he saw an open door and stole a glance into the nursery - a sacrosanct part of their home that hadn't been altered much since that fateful day. He sighed on seeing the familiar sight of Lily sitting on a chair with a baby doll in her arms. Her back was to him as she stared out of the window. The call of a cuckoo reverberated from outside and Lily echoed it, as her fingers worked on the dark hair of the doll.

Despite knowing well that he was getting late for work, James remained transfixed at the door, hearing his wife sing softly.

" Lullaby, don't you cry, with roses be dight  
With lilies o'er spread is baby's wee bed  
Lay thee down now and rest, may thy slumber be blessed  
Lay thee down now and rest, may thy slumber be blessed."

After several minutes when his wife lapsed into silence, merely rocking the doll, James walked in and kissed his wife's head from behind. Lily instantly turned and held the toy doll towards him, her eyes pleading for him to kiss the baby as well. James responded for his wife's sake, but he gently placed the doll back in the crib. When Lily started protesting indignantly, he held her hand firmly.

"You need to get ready for the custody hearing this afternoon, sweetheart," James said gently, rubbing his wife's wrist with his hand.

Lily's eyes drooped and she nodded heavily before clinging to her husband again.

"Lily," began James warily, "If it is going to be too much to handle, we can drop our claim and hope someone other than Frank's mother will…"

"NO!" Lily shouted and squeezed her husband's shoulder emphatically. "Neville will come here! I promised Alice! He will come here!"

James sighed in relief. Just to hear her wife's voice was a miracle lately. He gave a weak smile. He knew she would be resilient for the sake of their friends' orphaned son. He hated himself for what he was about to do but he knew it was necessary. Not just for the sake of his wife but for the child they were about to adopt. He brought Lily to face him and gazed longingly at her haunted green eyes, the eyes of his son.

"Then we must lock this room," he said quietly, and held his wife firmly to stop her recoil from him. His heart broke yet again at the pained and hurt face of his wife but he continued, "We cannot provide Neville the caring family he needs if we ourselves remain lost in the past." He finally released his wife and ended, "Please Lily, I know this isn't easy for you. But please, I beg you, please, come out of this room with me. Otherwise, I do not think we should adopt Neville."

Lily's first reaction was to slap her husband and she raised her hand, but she stopped on seeing his face - full of love, affection, fear, pain and determination. Lily took a step back and gazed at the crib with the doll, selected specifically for its resemblance to her Harry. She shuddered at how horribly she had been replacing her son with a toy and realized the truth of her husband's words. It wouldn't be fair to condemn Neville to such a family. James was right. She was fully aware of the pain in his own heart, the pain that he tried to hide from everyone, to be strong for her sake, and she knew how he feared her at that moment. How he feared losing her. Emotions pierced through her heart, emotions that she had thought lost since the night she had lost her babies, and in a swift movement, she rushed forward and buried herself in her husband's embrace.

"I love you so much, James," she said emphatically, and was rewarded by the first genuine smile from her husband in years.

--

Somewhere not very far away from Godric's Hollow where the Potters were trying to heal the wounds in their heart, another family was rejoicing. In the Burrow, Arthur Weasley brought news from the Ministry of Magic that the Dark Lord was indeed gone. Death Eaters had been apprehended at Longbottom Manor who revealed his disappearance. And so the Weasleys were in a festive mood. The only dampener in the joyous mood was the demise of Frank and Alice Longbottom, two of the kindest people in Magical Britain.

"But what about their son Neville?" asked his wife, Molly Weasley, as she cut the cake she had baked and handed the first plate to her youngest child, three year old Ginny, who flashed a radiant smile at her mother. She loved cakes.

"Ah, young Neville," said Arthur thoughtfully, ruffling his daughter's hair with affection. "Some are hailing him as our Prophesized Savior, the Chosen One."

"What?" Molly demanded. "Why?"

"Bellatrix Lestrange revealed under Veritaserum that you-know-who had been after the Potters and Longbottoms due to a prophecy that spoke of his downfall. Now that Neville Longbottom is the sole survivor, he is being called the boy-who-lived, the possible reason behind you-know-who's mysterious disappearance."

Molly Weasley's eyes widened and she nodded wondrously. "The boy-who-lived," she repeated and found the words oddly fitting. "But where is he to go?"

Arthur's demeanor changed somewhat and he fidgeted uneasily on his chair. "That is the question, isn't it? I heard a rumor that the Potters were named in the Longbottom will as the guardians of Neville while completely dismissing Frank's mother, should something happen to Frank and Alice. But Albus Dumbledore feels they aren't a good choice, that Lily Potter has been unhinged since the loss of her son and wouldn't be able to provide Neville with the upbringing he deserves. You do remember, don't you, how they tried to get Albus in trouble after they lost their son?"

Slightly disturbed by her husband's words, Molly asked, "So what is Dumbledore going to do about it? And Arthur, don't tell me you are getting yourself involved! You must not get into trouble with the Ministry!"

"No, nothing like that," Arthur said hurriedly. "It's just that… Dumbledore is going to put forward himself as a prospective guardian for Neville, jointly with Neville's grandmother. He wants me to support him in the Wizengamot. He wants to use the Prewett family backing as well, to show that the light families are gathered behind him in force. He wants to raise Neville in Hogwarts as the beacon of light."

"Oh," said Molly finally. She pursed her lips and frowned at her husband, unsure of how to respond. But it wasn't she who broke the silence, nor was it Arthur, or any of their boys. It was Ginny, who piped in with an innocent observation.

"But who'll be 'is mummy?"

--

Elizabeth Greengrass read the Daily Prophet with disbelief. It was official, the Dark Lord had gone. She didn't know how to react, whether to laugh in joy or to scream in frustration. The Dark Lord might have gone, but the havoc wreaked by him would linger. The Greengrass family would take much longer to recover.

She got up from the breakfast table and chuckled when her younger daughter tugged her skirt from behind. Elizabeth turned and picked up the three year old and said, "Does baby want to go out to the garden again?" The girl bobbed her head up and down and Elizabeth's heart churned at the innocent gaze of her daughter, with her head tilted sideways. "Do you promise to stay within the fences, Astoria?" The girl nodded brightly again, her grey eyes losing their dazed expression momentarily, the only way Elizabeth could perceive her daughter's acknowledgement of her promise. She kissed the girl's forehead and brushed aside stray strands of auburn hair.

As she led her younger daughter out, Elizabeth saw the little girl dart her head towards another figure sitting in the room quietly with a book in her hand. Elizabeth understood perfectly and called out, "Hey Daphne, do you want to go out as well? It is a nice and sunny morning."

"No," came the swift and indifferent response as the girl in question returned to her book.

Elizabeth sighed on seeing the disappointment in her younger daughter's face and smiled consolingly. Astoria reached forward and kissed her mother's cheek and rested her head against her shoulder. Elizabeth took her outside and left her on the grass before returning to her older daughter. She sat next to Daphne and put an arm around her. "Hey sweetheart, are you okay?"

"I read the paper," came the response.

Elizabeth nodded. She was aware her older daughter was something of a child prodigy. Not even five, she showed signs of intelligence and reasoning far surpassing other children her age. "I wish I could change the past," Elizabeth said sadly.

"You can't," the girl observed quietly.

Elizabeth nodded sadly and tightened her grip on her daughter, breathing heavily on her dark hair. She rocked her child quietly for a while, before whispering, "Why don't you play with your sister for a while?" Elizabeth felt a sudden shove as Daphne pushed her aside roughly.

"She is not my sister," Daphne stated blandly. "She is not daddy's daughter." She repeated venomously and walked up to her room.

Elizabeth sighed and turned around, wishing she could turn back time. She had no idea how to deal with her family, her two daughters - one, an unemotional genius with nothing but hatred for her sister, and the other without the ability to speak, a child radiating nothing but pure innocence, but cursed since birth. She sighed again and picked up her mail. Discarding the unnecessary ones, she was surprised to find one from her old friend Narcissa Malfoy. Malfoy, the name felt like a bitter pill to her. Lucius Malfoy was the one who had brought her the body of her cousin, Severus Snape, and had unwittingly interrupted his own comrades who had just tortured Walter Greengrass into insanity and were having fun with her, even in his horrible robes and mask. If the shock, horror and grief in his eyes weren't so evident to Elizabeth when he removed his mask after stunning the other Death Eaters, she would have throttled him with her own hands.

With shaky fingers, Elizabeth read the letter. It was an invitation to Malfoy Manor for her family for Christmas dinner. Only the Greengrass family was invited other than Narcissa's Auror cousin, Sirius Black. Elizabeth stifled a groan of exasperation, wishing her friend would stop trying to play matchmaker. The grief of losing Walter was still too strong, and besides, Daphne would never accept a second father. But Elizabeth paused on hearing a sound of laughter float through the window. She raised her head and saw little Astoria chase after butterflies and play with imaginary friends. The sun was out and the frolicking colors of blue skies, white daylight and green grass merged well with the copper head of her daughter.

Elizabeth's lips curled to a smile and she hastily replied Narcissa Malfoy's letter, accepting the invitation.

--

Narcissa Malfoy was pleased. Life had taken a sudden turn in the right direction for her. And she was pleased her dearest friend Elizabeth was willing to look to her future as well. She still remembered the turning point in the Malfoy family's life as clearly as the day it happened. Her husband had rushed to her room with the most fantastic story she had ever heard.

Who would have thought that Severus Snape, the slimy boy she knew in Hogwarts would become the greatest uncelebrated hero of their times?

She recalled the vindictive joy she felt when Lucius fell on his knees and begged her for forgiveness, for every single suffering she had to face at the behest of the Dark Lord. She recalled the relish with which she reminded him comparing her to her insane sister, and the revulsion in Lucius' face at the reminder. But she was ready to forgive, she knew the boy she had loved was back within the man she had married, and she was ready to take him back. She knew he would be a good father to their son, and she hadn't been misplaced in her faith.

"Hello, son. How was your trip today?" called out Narcissa when her son entered the dining room for dinner, followed shortly behind by his father. Narcissa hid her grin at the silver tipped cane her husband carried around. But her smile was lost at the thoughtful and worried sight on his face. "Is everything all right, Lucius? Did something untoward happen in the Wizengamot?"

Lucius, for his part, walked straight to the head of the table and sat down. He nodded slightly, indicating to the house elves to start serving dinner, and spoke in a troubled manner, "It appears I have made yet another grave error in judgment."

Narcissa pursed her lips and waited for her husband to continue.

"That night," Lucius Malfoy began with a shiver, and Narcissa didn't need any further clarification as to what night was being referred to, "Dumbledore had taken the Potter boy without his parents' consent. I walked away, leaving him behind with the muggles, assuming that it was what his family wished." He paused for a while and looked at Narcissa in a troubled manner. "Harry Potter is lost. After everything that happened surrounding him earlier that night, he was lost because a fat muggle decided that wizards are freaks."

Narcissa blanched. She wasn't close to the Potter family but her heart went out to Lily Potter, her only worthy adversary in Charms. Narcissa stole a glance at Draco, who was listening to his parents' conversation with interest but showing little signs of any desire to interrupt. Narcissa couldn't bear even to imagine how she would react if she lost Draco.

"I could have saved him," muttered Lucius Malfoy. "Everything Severus did was for naught."

Narcissa shook her head adamantly. "This wasn't your fault," she said. "You did what you thought was right, and with the information you had, it was indeed the correct decision. Don't berate yourself over this unfortunate incident, husband." Even before Narcissa had finished speaking, she saw Lucius rise from his chair. To her great surprise and much amusement, Lord Lucius Malfoy broke with his formality and upbringing and kissed his wife between dinner.

She pushed him aside with a smile and noted how her son, while pointedly ignoring his parents' show of affection, seemed to appear much more happier than usual. She smiled at him.

"What happened in the Wizengamot today, Lucius?" asked Narcissa after finishing dinner and sitting in the living room, sipping a particularly exotic ice wine. "How did the Longbottom heir's custody hearing go? And why were the Potter's life brought in picture?"

Lucius turned his head up from the parchment he was perusing and smiled. "The custody went in favor of the Potters, despite Dumbledore and his cronies attempts to disregard the Longbottoms' will and pose the Potters as unfit parents. You might be interested to know that the Potters are completely disenchanted with Dumbledore."

"I would assume so," said Narcissa sharply. "He kidnapped their son. Why hasn't this become more of an issue? How can we allow such a man have power over our children?"

Lucius Malfoy's eyes clouded slightly and he returned to the document he was reading. "The other Governors have responded. To put things bluntly, my attempts are being perceived as an ex-Death Eater working against the greatest light wizard since Merlin."

"Merlin was more deeply entrenched in the Dark Arts than any, save perhaps the fool who tried to murder a baby. Anyone with half a brain and an hour of research can reach that conclusion," commented Narcissa acerbically. She smiled when Draco handed her a piece of paper where he had drawn a dragon with himself riding it, rushing to save a princess in a tall tower. "Very good, son," she said with smiling eyes. "Lucius, I think we might have some trouble accommodating our son's choice of a pet."

Lucius Malfoy pushed his papers aside and made room for his son to join him. "True to your name," he said with a chuckle. "Merlin! Don't tell me I'm raising a reckless little Gryffindor in my house," he added teasingly. His eyes moved to the clock and Draco sighed, pushing all his things to one heap. "Good boy," Lucius said approvingly. "Dobby, help Master Draco clean up and get ready for bed. We will be up in an hour." He waited until he and his wife were the sole people remaining in the room before he spoke again.

"The Potters were adamant about adhering to the Longbottom will but Dumbledore had garnered much support from several families to push for an order to stay it. That old fool wished to raise the young Longbottom heir himself, and in Hogwarts!"

Narcissa's face contorted in disgust. "Perhaps Durmstrang isn't too bad an option to consider for Draco," she muttered. "How did it end?"

"That ridiculous man, Arnold Weasley, was it? He was supposed to rise in support of Dumbledore as a final blow to the Potters, but he wavered on seeing the boy and pushed for adhering to the Longbottom will as well. He also used the Prewett vote in lieu of his wife. That created a major rift between Dumbledore's supporters. Despite their… financial status, the Weasley-Prewett name still carries some weight in the Wizengamot. With your cousin bringing the Black vote and myself supporting the same motion, the Potters received the custody of the boy-who-lived with overwhelming majority."

"Good," said Narcissa as she leaned to her husband and reached for his lips.

--

It had been several years since Harry Potter had first been in the cottage of Tom Bombadil, master of wood, water and hill, who was currently gathering water lilies from the river that flowed not too far from their hut. It was a bright and sunny day, but it usually was bright and sunny during that time in summer. The boy snuck behind him and sat on a stone, observing his guardian intently. The hermit seemed to be oblivious of the boy's presence.

"Why do you pick only one flower from each spot?" asked the boy in confusion. "It is much slower that way."

With a hop, the hermit whirled around on his yellow boots and his blue cloak billowed dramatically. His blue eyes twinkled with mirth. On his arms were a bundle of flowers, the result of a hard morning's work.

"Ah, young Harry," said Tom cheerfully. "It takes Tom but a morning to gather the flowers he needs. Do you know how long it takes for the flowers to grow?" When the boy shook his head, Tom sat down next to him. "It takes the flowers an entire season to grow - many months of toil and hard work," he said, as if teaching an important lesson to the boy. "If I take more than a single flower from each patch, the patch will become empty before long, and the beauty of Tom's gardens will recede."

"Oh," said the boy, thinking with deep concentration. "That wouldn't be nice."

Tom laughed gaily at the boy's thoughtful face and ruffled his hair, "Come lad, put aside thoughts of a gardener tending to his patch of grass and think of lunch. The table is laden with honey and bread and milk and berries, and Goldberry, the river's daughter, eagerly awaits our return." With a beckoning wave, he hopped and danced along the path, singing merrily.

Soon enough, they were inside a long low room filled with the light of many lamps and on a table of dark polished wood stood more candles, burning yellow and gold, surrounding which were plates of fresh bread and sweet honey, a considerable amount of which was now sticking on young Harry's fingers and mouth. The boy was grinning widely, listening to the river's daughter – a golden-haired lady more radiant than any queen, clad in a raiment made of living flowers, and singing a tale of trolls and hobbits and wizards and dwarves.

When she finished, both fell into joyous laughter. Harry felt something poke his side and turned with increasing happiness to see a silver unicorn.

"Dia!" the boy yelled, throwing his arms around the magical creature. "I missed you." The unicorn brushed her solitary horn against the boy affectionately as Harry kissed her forehead above her horn. He was aware of the strange nature of the unicorn's birth and treated her more like a real human sister than an animal, and the unicorn also appeared to treat the boy as if aware of their connection.

Harry purred against the unicorn's head and gently climbed on her back. He had a joyous smile on his face as he said, "You're big now. Let's go for a walk." The unicorn looked indignant momentarily before relenting and trotting out of the cottage, with her brother on her back

Tom and Goldberry laughed at the excitement on the boy's face. He had been awaiting this day for months. A herd of unicorns had arrived several months earlier and Tom had tried to convince both Harry and the unicorn that she should join them, at least temporarily, to discover for herself where she belonged. Harry had been heartbroken when the unicorn reluctantly followed after the herd on Tom's insistence, but he kept repeating to Tom and Goldberry that he was sure Dia would return to him.

"The boy grows," remarked Tom.

"T'is my delight to have one so young and merry under my wing again," remarked Goldberry brightly. Her eyes danced with joy as she followed the path of the boy and his unicorn.

"Little Harry's eyes sparkle with a joy that makes him one with nature itself. His delight in the simplest of things, despite being taken to the enchanted abode of the elvenfolk, make him a fitting companion for Tom Bombadil and the river's daughter," the Hermit stated before lapsing into thoughtful silence.

"He comes home crying every time you take him to Imladris," remarked Goldberry accusingly. "He doesn't belong with the elves. The elflings make fun of him for being different."

"And yet he needs other companions of his age," stated Tom quietly.

"Then why not the wizards?" Goldberry demanded. "Why not take him to where he was born?"

Goldberry remained silent for a while before suddenly rising up and rushing to Tom. "Tell me, Tom, is he the one? Is Harry the one we have been waiting for?"

Tom's eyes grew and he turned his gaze from Goldberry to look out the window. From the distance, a lilting melody could be heard, and with a start, both realized that Harry was singing. Not a song of words, nor a song of humans, but a song that touched nature itself. Tom smiled when nature itself responded to Harry's singing and golden leaves showered over the brother-sister duo, seemingly from nowhere, and he nodded to himself with a pleased grin.

"I believe he is."

--


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The earth trembled fearfully beneath the massive and majestic forms of the beasts that landed on the ground. There were five of them, all in different hues of black and grey, with massive wings jutting out from their backs and eyes filled with rage and fury. They had soared to the skies, as far as they were permitted, and descended after their energies were spent, but their fury was still unabated. They roared and shrieked with inhuman disdain.

Such was the sight that greeted the eyes of an eight year old Draco Malfoy as he clutched his mother's fingers. His unmoving gaze was fixed on the dragons and he was completely enthralled by the majesty of the beasts.

"Do you like your birthday treat, son?" asked Narcissa smilingly.

"Yes mother," answered Draco gratefully, but his eyes never moved an inch away from a thundering great silver black dragon. The dragon itself appeared to be transfixed with Draco.

Narcissa nodded and turned around to look for the others who had accompanied them. She chuckled when she saw Daphne Greengrass standing near a cage and talking to the dragon handlers while taking notes in a diary. But Narcissa's smile faded on seeing the fearfully crouched form of the younger daughter of her friend. She let go of Draco's hand, muttering for him to stay where he was and walked towards the crying girl. Elizabeth had stayed in her hotel room in Romania after waking up with a particularly painful bout of migraine and Narcissa had promised to look after the two girls.

She knelt beside the girl and put her arm around her. "Are you feeling all right, Astoria?" The girl shook her head and covered her ears as a dragon screamed once again. By then Lucius had joined her and Narcissa turned to her husband. "I'll take her back to Elizabeth." She picked up the thin and light form of the girl and carried her back to the hotel, ignoring the icy glare thrown by Daphne at her sister or the mesmerized look of her son as he kept staring at the dragon, completely oblivious to all else around him.

"Astoria!" Elizabeth called out in alarm and rushed to her daughter the moment she saw her appear. Taking her from Narcissa's arms, Elizabeth crooned softly in her daughter's ears. "It's all right, sweetheart, mummy's here." When her daughter didn't seem to get better, Elizabeth hastily reached for her bag and pulled out a mirror. "Sirius. Sirius Black, are you there?"

"Elizabeth?" came a puzzled but pleased response and the shaggy head of Sirius Black came in the mirror. "What can I do for you?"

"I'm sorry to disturb you like this, Sirius," began Elizabeth anxiously, "Astoria's having a fit and she needs to walk in her garden to feel better. I'm in Romania with the Malfoys and I can't travel by floo or portkey until my migraine gets better. I'm really sorry to…"

"I'll be there shortly," stated Sirius firmly. "Just as soon as…" his voice became muffled as if talking to someone else at his end. Elizabeth could pick up some words, "Hey Ludo, can you work through a portkey to Romania and get it cleared by Grouchy Crouch. Get the destination to where the Malfoys made theirs. How long? Make it five minutes and I'll help you with your goblin trouble. Good lad."

"I'll be there in ten minutes, Elizabeth," promised Sirius and his mirror became blank.

Elizabeth sighed in relief though her anxiety renewed on seeing her daughter trembling fitfully. Blinking back a tear, she reached for her and held her tightly, unable to make her discomfiture disappear. She looked helplessly at Narcissa, who was observing quietly from a distance.

"I'm sorry for ruining your day, Cissy," Elizabeth said regretfully, but Narcissa waved her off.

"Don't worry about it, Betty," Narcissa said with a thin smile. "I'm glad you came with us and I hope someday you will find a cure for little Astoria. It grieves me to see her in such pain. Have the healers not been able to figure out anything at all?"

"I was with her, five months pregnant, when…" Elizabeth trailed off and her eyes became vacant. Instantly, Narcissa swooped down on her and tenderly stroked her hair. "There was a premature surgery that left her like this, the healers claim something must have affected her while in my womb. Too many Cruciatus or… the other kind of torture… that's why Daphne refuses to treat her as her sister…"

Narcissa nodded with a grim expression, alternately stroking her friend and her friend's daughter, until footsteps could be heard rushing towards them. Both the women looked up to see Sirius Black hurrying with a concerned look on his face. On approaching them, he nodded at Narcissa and turned to Elizabeth grimly.

"Thank you so much, Sirius. I don't know how I can repay you for this," said Elizabeth with much gratitude but Sirius shook his head.

"You don't have to," he said and turned to the little girl, who was staring at him with big eyes. "Hello Astoria, do you remember me? Paddy?" He knelt down and stretched his arms forward when the girl nodded shyly, and allowed her to walk towards him for an embrace. Holding her firmly, he got up and nodded at Elizabeth. "I'll stay over at your manor in the guest room until you're back. Do not worry about Astoria. She's in good hands."

Elizabeth nodded thankfully as Sirius marched back towards the portkey point and leaned against her friend.

Narcissa, for her part, bit back a smirk and commented dryly, "So you would choose to call my cousin for aid from halfway across the continent despite having both Lucius and I nearby. How interesting, my dear Betty!" She smirked with teenage mischief when her friend's face turned a deep red.

--

The village of Ottery St. Catchpole was resting in peaceful content as three Weasleys went shopping for the perfect gift. Hand in hand, Arthur and his youngest children moved from one shop to another, alternating between muggle and magical ones, browsing to their heart's content for something nice. For Arthur, it had become a tradition since that fateful day in the Wizengamot to listen to his children more often. He shuddered every time he recalled how close he came towards condemning a little boy to a life no child deserved.

Fondly, his arm went around his daughter and twiddled her long crimson hair. The girl smiled at her father and grabbed his hand, dragging him inside a specific shop that made Arthur groan.

"Not you as well, princess," Arthur muttered with a smile as his daughter moved from one broom to another. But his smile faded when his daughter slunk away from the brooms after seeing their price tags and turned to leave. Arthur turned to his son who was standing outside the shop with his gaze fixed on a model of a broom outside, but he made no movement to enter the shop and look at it closer. Arthur sighed and patted Ginny's head while grabbing the broom in the furthest end, the cheapest one.

"For both you and Ron," he said. "You must use it responsibly, only when Bill, Charlie or I am present, and share it between the two of you. Do I have a promise, princess?"

"Yes, daddy," piped the seven year old with wide eyes, staring at the broom with a near reverent adoration. "But… But I wasn't lookin' for me, I was lookin' for Neville's gift."

Arthur smiled and said, "I think we should allow the Potters to buy that gift for their son, don't you? A first broom is quite a special gift, isn't it?"

Ginny nodded brightly and clutched the broom to her heart, sighing blissfully. Then, she turned around and ran out of the store and handed the broom to Ron, who stared at it in disbelief.

Arthur looked at his children fondly as they sat on the ground and inspected the broom in great detail, their heads pouring its every single detail, down to the smallest crack and loose strand of hair. Arthur sighed and turned to the shopkeeper, his children's smile made it worth it. Slowly, he removed his wristwatch and placed it apologetically on the shopkeeper's desk.

The shopkeeper looked at Arthur and then at his children playing outside and nodded. "I'll keep it safe until you are able to pay for it, Arthur. There's a special discount on that one, you know, I hadn't been able to find it a home for quite some time. Just under a galleon will do it." He held the family heirloom gingerly and placed it securely in his safe and turned around to the man, who was still staring at his children outside and said, "I heard the Potters bought the new Nimbus 1900 for the boy-who-lived. I have a polish kit, specifically for that brand. Together the cost will round up to a galleon, and I will trust you to repay it within a year." He pointed towards a table with polish kits and added, "That last one over there. And give my regards to the boy-who-lived."

Nodding, Arthur grabbed the polish kit and walked outside, ignoring the dampness in the corners of his eyes. Feeling Ginny's fingers slip into his hand, he smiled happily. Nothing else was important.

Within an hour, the Weasley family had traveled quite a fair distance by foot and had emerged in front of Godric's Hollow, it was their preferred way of traveling for this specific destination. They had to cut through the woods behind the Burrow, a path seldom traveled, but one full of surprises and delight for the youngest Weasleys, as they traveled mile after mile until the youngest got tired, and then Arthur would carry Ginny for the remainder of the journey.

On reaching the simple splendor of Godric's Hollow, completely remade a few years ago after the tragedy of the Potters, Arthur pushed his children ahead. Ron, Ginny and the twins rushed to the garden where they could hear a boy and his adoptive father's delighted yells as they flew about in a broom. Arthur then turned to Molly, who walked towards the back garden and made for the kitchen, the place where she thrived best, while Arthur remained content in merely observing the happiness that was prevalent that day. For half an hour, he barely moved, and not until his wife called him to get inside, did he shake himself out of his stupor.

It was an enjoyable afternoon in the life of the Weasleys and the Potters.

In the midst of all the ruckus around her as the Weasleys eventually departed, a solitary woman stood back and observed the proceedings with a sad smile. She pushed back strands of lush red hair and tilted her head sideways, smiling at the playing boy. Bits of cake lay spluttered all around the room, evidence of a food fight, marauder style, but Lily Potter couldn't bring herself to scold any of the guilty party - her husband and adopted son. A sudden hollowness washed through her on seeing the date on the calendar and tears threatened to spill out of her eyes - tears she had held back while their guests were present, but just then she felt two small arms come around her waist. Startled from her reverie, Lily looked down to see the light brown head of Neville against her apron.

Brushing aside all other thoughts, Lily leant down and picked up the recently eight year old in her arms, relishing the smile on his face. "Did you like your present, Neville?"

"Yes, Aunt Lily," the boy said, nodding his head vigorously, as he clasped his arms around Lily's neck. Reaching forward, he kissed her cheek, making Lily's eyes widen with joy.

Laughing daintily, she released the boy to his feet and said, "Run along and play with your broom. I know you want to do that and I can see your Uncle James waiting impatiently for you. You men are all the same!" She smiled as the boy ran ecstatically out of the kitchen and to the backyard, unaware of her finger moving up on its own to the spot where the boy had just kissed her. She sighed, turning around to face the stairway. She paused for a moment, alternating between hesitation and quiet alacrity, but with determination, she removed something from her pocket and magically enlarged it to its proper size - another broom in a wrapping. Holding it gingerly, she walked up.

"Alohomora!" she called out, pointing her wand to a door that had been opened only six times in three years - on that day, June, the thirty-first, and on Christmas eve night. Hesitating, she walked inside and sighed. Nothing had changed since the last time she had been inside, except for the dust that had settled all around. She left the package in a corner with a heap of other wrapped boxes and with a sudden movement, she rubbed her hand on the crib, wiping away the dust with her fingers. Her eyes fell on the doll that lay inside, eyeing her, but she didn't make any movement towards it. Instead, she picked up a pillow from within the crib and hugged it to her bosom. At some point, she had started crying openly. But her sobs soon gave way to a gentle humming:

"Somewhere, over the rainbow, way up high,  
There's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby…  
Somewhere, over the rainbow, skies are blue,  
And the dreams that you dare to dream… really do come true…  
Somewhere, over the rainbow, bluebirds fly,  
Birds fly over the rainbow, why then - oh why can't I?"

Lily paused and wiped a tear from her eye and sniffed before continuing in her melodious voice, unaware that she had an audience behind her, "If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow, why, oh why, can't I?" She turned around abruptly on hearing a sob and saw Neville look at her with a frightened expression. She bit her lip and looked around her aware of how she might have affected the young boy with her melancholy grief, and with a swooping motion, grabbed Neville in a hug. "You are my son too," she said firmly, "and don't let my sorrow for another make you feel otherwise."

Neville raised his head with eager eyes and appeared hesitant.

"Go ahead, Neville," said Lily kindly. "You don't have to fear anything. Tell me what is bothering you."

Neville turned his gaze downward and said in a low voice, "I want to be a Potter too."

Lily turned to James, who had a troubled expression on his face at the boy's question, but Lily nodded her head. "All right. You are already a son to me, and if you want, you will be a Potter as well," she said firmly. "But you will also maintain a link to your birth parents. Never forget them son, okay? Those who gave birth to you loved you dearly, and nothing will change that," she said, more to herself than the boy. "Not even death and separation can change that kind of love. Never forget them, Neville Frankalison Potter. Is that okay? Do you promise me?"

Neville nodded his head eagerly and kissed Lily's cheek again, "Thank you Aunt Li… mum. Thank you, mum."

Lily's eyes glistened with unshed blissful tears at that single word and she hugged the boy tightly.

Later, after Neville had gone up to his room for the night, Lily turned to James and slithered into his arms, smiling at him. "Thank you too, James."

"Huh?" James asked with a confused gaze, but kissed his wife's forehead anyways. "What did I do?"

Lily reached forward and kissed his lips gently. "I can sense you shamelessly behind young Neville's request today. You knew how much I wanted to be called mum, just for once in my life. You gave me something I had thought lost forever."

"I also gave Neville something he needed." James smiled and kissed his wife's nose. "But for you, sweetheart, anything."

Lily smiled, but her smile slowly faded and she said sadly, "Hold me tonight, James. I want to stay in H-Harr… _his_ room tonight. When I sing for him, I like to believe that the wind carries my voice to him, wherever he is. I want him to remember me on his birthday. Please, James. One last time, I promise, just one last night. Please stay with me."

"Anything, sweetheart, anything for you."

--

Harry's eyes burst into tears and he fell to the ground and wept on the grass, clutching his heart. On sensing Goldberry's arms around him, he turned around and wept against her golden hair, "She's crying again. She's in pain."

"Who?" asked Goldberry quietly, as she patted the boy's back. "Who is that?"

"The woman… the woman in my dreams," Harry let out between sobs. "She is hurting again. I don't want her to hurt!" Harry lurched suddenly and buried his head in Goldberry's neck. "Don't hurt. Please don't hurt."

Goldberry raised Harry's head slowly to face her and she looked at him intently. "This woman, how does she look like?"

"She has red hair, she is very thin. I don't think she eats enough," Harry said thoughtfully, rubbing his eyes and leaning into Goldberry's embrace. "She has eyes like mine, and she… and she cries for Dia too." Suddenly, he stopped crying and cried out in dismay, "Dia!" He tore from Goldberry's arms and darted his head around, searching for the unicorn. Seeing her lying in the ground in a far corner of the meadow, he ran to her, as fast as his young feet could take him.

The moment he reached her breathless from the sprinting, his hands clasped around the unicorn's head and he buried his head against her neck as hot unicorn tears fell on his hair. "She loves you too," Harry said vehemently. "She loves you too."

Goldberry walked to the boy with a grim expression . She reached down and kissed the top of the boy's head and said, "Someday you will meet her, Harry, my child, this is my belief."

"Will her pain go away then?" Harry asked innocently with wide eyes.

Goldberry smiled sadly at the boy and nodded. "Yes, her pain will go away," she said slowly. "Or much of it will. But only you can make all of it go away."

"Me?" Harry asked in confusion, but his head jerked up suddenly. "How?"

"How do I make your pain go away, my little star?"

Harry smiled and wrapped his arms around Goldberry and rested his head against her. "You don't have to do anything. You just need to be with me."

"Then that is all you need to do for her pain to go away. You need to stay with her," said Goldberry calmly, but she kept stroking the boy's hair. "And you also have another gift. You have the voice of nature, you are nature's musician. Sing to her. Let nature and all that is beautiful in it dance with you, let it show the woman that her pain is no longer necessary."

"But," Harry said with sudden desolation. "But… I can't… I haven't been able to control it."

"Then come with me, young Harry!" came the jolly voice of Tom Bombadil, with his smiling face popping into sight. "Come with Tom, who will show you how to sing with nature. How to let the wind blow with your voice, the roots of trees unfold with your rhythm, and the sparks of fire dance with your melody. Come with me, young Harry, your time begins now!"

The Hermit took the boy to the far corners of his land where the thickness of trees started increasing. They moved from deep, withered, nasty looking trees that seemed to whisper profanities among themselves to bright merry young ones that welcomed them with their gentle rustling. Eventually, they reached the ends of the forest and saw hills with green mounds on top. On the mounds stood stones that pointed outwards like giant arrows on grass.

Tom led Harry, followed by his beloved unicorn, to a place with a single stone that appeared as if it had once been a truly ominous object but had since lost some of its darkness. But still it retained some of its gloom and cold malice. Harry glanced at it with the wide-eyed fascination of a young child to the unexplainable and unusual.

"Look around, Master Green Eyes," Tom laughed as he danced a jig around the stone, making it appear even less harmful than it truly was. "You might see something that catches your sight."

The young boy smiled widely at the invitation to explore the once foul place. Around the mound, Harry saw many treasures – gold, silver, crowns and jewels, daggers and armor, and he nodded in fascination, recalling the tale of the four hobbits on the Barrow-downs, and the treasure of the evil wights that Tom had scattered on the ground. It had survived many thousands of years, unhindered by the rest of the world moving along, by the splitting of the landmass, the forming of the continents. In Tom's land, all was preserved, from the beginning of time, and until its end. Harry knew that.

He looked at the gold again and then at Tom, his mind wandering towards Tom's words - _you might see something that catches your sight_. None of the gold did, nor did the weapons or the jewels. If anything, it was the strange white flowers in the grass that did catch his eye. He knelt down and plucked a single petal and pushed it inside his pocket. He looked at the Hermit and grinned at his antics. Tom was pretending to scold the stone for scaring travelers. Or perhaps he wasn't pretending.

Harry frowned at his sudden new thought. Why shouldn't one be able to speak to stone, or grass, or flower, or river, or wind? After all, Tom was Master of Wood, Water and Stone! And Harry was his son, or as good as! He took a step closer to Tom and opened his mouth, wishing for the stone to stop being nasty. But instead of poetic words as Tom excelled in, a deep resounding note, a raging melody reverberated, and Tom grabbed Harry's arm, pulling him back. It was just in time, for a crack emerged in the ominous stone, splitting it into thousands of pieces, all flying around. Tom shielded Harry with his body, but it wasn't necessary, for Harry never stopped singing. His melody turned from angry to rhythmic and a gust of wind blew away all the shards that came in their direction. As the final shard fell to the ground, harmlessly away from the twain, Harry stopped singing, and with a heavy head, fainted to the ground. Instantly, Dia curled over him protectively.

Tom looked at the boy and the unicorn, and then at the stone, which was blown to smithereens and he chuckled.

"Ho! Old Man Skarn has met his end!  
And not by Tom's weary hands…  
Ho! Ho! Little boy Harry's gift is sent  
And brought is he to Tom's lands!  
Ho! Ho! Holler along! Tom's time is done!  
Little Harry, Holler along! Now that you have come!"

"What fun!" Tom yelled in glee as the bits and pieces of the stone paled and lost their dark luster. He picked the boy and put him over his shoulder, and hopped along back to his hut, singing and laughing joyfully.

--

Sirius Black was confused as he stared at the young form of Astoria Greengrass play in her garden before climbing through a small hedge and going out of sight. He had received strict instructions from the girl's mother not to follow her through the small opening in the hedge that led to her private sanctuary. Only Elizabeth was allowed entry and that too very rarely. Sirius knew that the healers claimed the lack of outside influence made the young girl feel very secure in her spot, and as the whole estate was heavily warded, Elizabeth didn't worry too much, letting her daughter out of her sight into her own retreat. But Sirius felt uneasy and his feet twitched to get moving and follow the girl into the garden. However, he decided to honor his promise and brought his head down to read the Daily Prophet, which he had missed reading that day.

But if he had followed Astoria, he would have seen a sight unlike any other. Not even Elizabeth knew how beautiful her daughter's garden had become. It was a small patch, considering the vastness of the estate. A small pond stood in the middle, with water lilies floating on it. Around it were several layers, not perfect circles, but wild and untamed growth, of myriads of plants and flowers. Red, blue, yellow, white and pink were resplendent in the dim sunlight, shrouded by the tall trees that leaned forward, as if hiding the garden from outside gaze. Astoria laughed when a dove flew down and landed beside where she was sitting. She raised her hand and the bird hopped backward warily. But after a few moments, the dove hopped forward and allowed the girl to stroke it. Then it flew away, leaving a smiling girl behind.

She got up slowly and ran around the pond, laughing happily. Sometime, butterflies moved from the flowers and started following after the girl, as if playing a game of catch. To outsiders, the sight would have been surreal, butterflies chasing after a human child, but such as it was, Astoria Greengrass was a daughter of earth and all things that grew. Exhausted, the girl slowed down and fell to the grass on her back and laughed when a black and red butterfly landed on her nose. She blew at it, making it rise with the sudden gust of air, but only for a few seconds before it landed on her forehead.

"This is paradise," called out a voice from behind the girl and Astoria instantly stiffened, getting up and crouching away from the voice, hugging a thin tree and covering her eyes from the intruder. Seeing her distress, the intruder felt mortified and called out, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude. I'll leave."

Astoria kept her eyes closed as she heard rhythmic clicking of footsteps recede into the distance, before she hazarded to open her eyes. She saw no one. Suddenly, she felt an emptiness in her garden, one that she couldn't explain and she looked in the direction where the footsteps had gradually disappeared and ran. But the wards wouldn't let her leave the Greengrass Estate and dejectedly, she walked back to the house, casting a sad look in the direction of her garden.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

It was a cold winter morning. Snow wasn't unusual in that part of the land but it rarely came with the vehemence that it had that particular morning. An icy wind rattled the roof of the cottage and the fire in the fireplace jiggled in defiance. A boy, no more than nine years old, huddled in front of the fireplace on a rug, snuggled against a creature more beautiful than words can depict. The boy treated the unicorn as family.

"Why did they have to leave? Why couldn't they have lived longer?" asked the boy quietly. In response, the silver unicorn licked his cheek. "Promise me you'll never leave me, Dia," the boy begged miserably, his arms thrown around the unicorn's neck, clutching the creature tightly, as if fearing she would get up and leave him that very instant. "Never leave me! I'll never leave you either!"

The unicorn poked her horn on the boy's belly, making him yelp and jump up, before she crouched on the floor, with her head down, an indicator of her desiring him on her back.

Harry smiled weakly and climbed on the unicorn's back, and the creature trotted towards the door, unlocking it with her horn and pushing it open with her head. Instantly, a wall of icy cold breeze and specks of white snow slammed against the two, and Harry brushed the snow off from the unicorn's face, beginning to hum slowly. A soft melody left his lips that related the sorrow of his parting from the only parents he knew. Tom and Goldberry had spoken to him in length, explaining to him of the nature of their existence, and how it had to come to an end. They told him of his special purpose in the world and the need for him to remain strong, even as Harry watched them fade away into the very elements they came from.

He sang, recalling their last moments - a melody that narrated how the river's daughter returned to the waters whence she came form, while the water lilies from her garments floated in the water long after she had disappeared. He sang of Tom, the Master of the land, the firstborn, closed his eyes for his long awaited slumber and blew away as dust in the wind. And finally, he sung for himself, a little boy, alone with his faithful companion - a unicorn; and how they walked alone in the dark and snowy morning.

After the first moment, snow didn't touch them, nor did the cold enter their bones, for Harry's song kept it at bay - a warm protective glow that only the tenderness in his melody could bring. And so the boy and the unicorn traveled on and on, as the snow gave way and a pale sun emerged overhead, but Harry never stopped singing his loneliness.

And as they traveled on and on, Harry suddenly stopped singing. He found himself in a small patch of garden in a valley between small hills. Tom had told him to make for the elven realm but Harry didn't like it there. Goldberry had whispered that he should follow his heart. There was only one place out of Tom and Goldberry's land that Harry would want to visit, only one place that was like paradise to him.

He had wandered out of Tom's lands and ventured into the territory of man, but the garden that he entered in was worthy of Master Tom and Lady Goldberry themselves. He left Dia's back and slowly looked around. In several layers of circles, not perfectly shaped, but naturally formed, were winter flowers of many colors - white hellebores, ivy covered the ground where lush bushes would emerge in spring, sheltered by trees that hid the small paradise from outsiders. Other layers Harry could perceive, covered in white in honor of that season as he walked to the middle, traversing through the pleasant route between flowers.

He had been there once before, again on Dia's back, a year ago.

In the middle was a small pond, about the size of the living room in Tom's cottage, frozen in ice. He gathered his footing and walked around the pond in a circle, observing the beauty of the garden from all angles from within. The trees jutted inwards, some were evergreen, some were devoid of their adorning leaves, but all moved together to shelter the garden from outsiders. Harry sighed and touched Dia's horn as she settled peacefully on a bed of grass, sheltered from the snow by a particularly thick growth of trees and foliage.

He recalled of the previous time he had been there, when they had wandered away a bit too far from home. He recalled it well for he had thought the garden to be paradise. With a smile, Harry sat down, and resting his head on Dia's stomach, fell asleep, his troubles assuaged for the time being. He was in paradise.

Some time later, Harry stirred and pulled the thick cover closer to himself. Then his eyes opened suddenly and he stared with surprise at the cloak that covered him like a warm blanket. He got up and saw Dia was no longer next to him, and he started looking for her frantically, a strange fear emerging in his heart. But it was misplaced, for the sight that met his eyes brought a smile to his face. In the middle of the frozen pond, Dia was running around, playing with a small girl of about his age. He gathered the cloak that was draped around him in his arms and walked towards the girl, who froze on seeing him approach.

Harry's smile faltered on recalling how distressed the girl had been the previous time he was there. That was when Dia prodded the girl with her horn and pushed her towards him. "Hello, I am Harry, and that's Dia, my best friend. I think of her as my sister. What's your name?" The girl didn't respond, instead she made a choking noise and pointed at her throat. Harry understood and nodded sadly. "Oh." When the girl was about to turn and leave, he called out anxiously, "Is this your garden?"

The girl turned around eagerly and nodded vigorously, a hint of pride visible in her eyes.

"It is paradise. Please do not leave because of me. I am sorry to intrude again." The girl appeared uncertain, but she turned from Harry to the unicorn and back to Harry with a big smile on her face. She reached forward and grabbed Harry's hands and started running. Laughing, Harry allowed her to drag him to the pond and they chased each other, the three of them playing underneath the winter sun - two unable to speak but all three in perfect understanding with each other and nature.

"Are we friends?" Harry asked eagerly after they stopped after getting exhausted from the running around. The girl looked at him hopefully with wide eyes. "I'd love to be your friend, but I don't know your name," Harry added apologetically. But seeing the dejected look in the girl's face, he added brightly, "So I'll give you a name for myself." The girl looked at him hopefully. Harry frowned thoughtfully. "Your hair is as bright as the golden sunflowers of Imladris. I'll call you Elanor after it!"

The girl smiled brightly and nodded her head vigorously, indicating her approval. Then she gave a light laugh and got up, running away from Harry, who followed after her. And the children began playing again.

At some point, Harry saw the girl shiver from the cold and stopped running. Opening his mouth, he started singing, not with words, but a perfect harmony with nature, a melody that rejoiced his sudden discovery of the garden and the girl within. As he hummed, there was a slight warmth around them. But as he sang, something else also happened.

The girl, Astoria Greengrass, renamed Elanor, was sitting in the ground by his feet, and she gasped in disbelief and amazement. In front of her eyes, bits of the garden that had retreated for the winter, came back to life. Orange and white lilies, blue irises, green leaves, jutting their head over the white snow, making the garden even more beautiful with each new spark of life.

The girl grabbed Harry's hand and sighed dreamily. She understood his song despite the lack of words for such was her life, and for his part, Harry never stopped singing. Instead, he removed one of the handful of waterlilies he had kept with himself as reminder of Goldberry and covered it within his palm. He resumed singing in a strong medley of emotions - his grief at parting from Goldberry and Tom, his joy at finding a new friend, his wonder at the beauty of the garden, his love for Dia - he poured them all into that single flower.

When he opened his palm, Harry himself was shocked. He had acted out of instinct, not knowing what he was doing but what he saw in his hand amazed him. Instead of a flower lay a small jewel, not a stone, but of ice, holding the dancing flames of fire inside, covered in green misty earth. The white petal rested within. It shone like a star and then dimmed. Harry smiled, he knew it wouldn't melt. Something stronger than temperature preserved it. He handed it to his new friend, saying, "For you, Elanor."

-----

At that moment, while two innocent children were blossoming in the bright light and warmth of their newfound friendship, a woman suddenly dropped a plate of food that she was holding and ran out of the kitchen and to her bedroom. Frantically, she started throwing aside the contents of her drawer, searching for a specific item. Finally, she brought out a mirror and called out in distress, "James! James Potter!"

The mirror buzzed and the confused face of James Potter appeared. "Lily? Honey, what's wrong?"

Lily Potter clutched the mirror with her fingers, her nails biting into the glass and stated simply, "He's alive!" On seeing a blank look on her husband's face, she repressed the urge to shriek and repeated slowly, "He is alive! I know it! Our son, Harry… he is alive!"

With widening eyes, James said, "Lily, wait for me. Stay where you are, okay? I'll be there in a few seconds."

Lily nodded and dropped the mirror in her bed. She ran out to the living room and saw James emerge from the fireplace. "He is alive!" she repeated. "I felt him again. I felt his love, his grief…"

"Lily," began James slowly, taking his wife's hands. "Slowly, from the beginning."

Lily looked at James with confusion and blinked a few times. Then she said, "It happened again. I could feel it so clearly. My son… our son… he is alive. Please say that you believe me, James."

"I do," said James firmly. "Sometimes, I feel something too, but I don't know… it's been so many years… but I do believe you."

"And I could feel his need, James!" said Lily urgently. "He needs me! My son needs me! We have to find him!"

"We tried for many years, Lily," said James. "The Ministry is not going to give any more aid. More than seven years have passed. They have given up."

"Please, James," begged Lily tearfully. "Otherwise, I'll search for him on my own. I don't care how long it takes, I will -"

"And what about Neville?" cut in James, a bit sharply, and he instantly regretted it, seeing the hurt in his wife's eyes as her resolve to go in search for her son came crashing around her. "No, Lily, you have a son to care for here. I will fetch him back from the Weasleys and you will stay with him," he said firmly. "Then I will go to the Ministry and find Chief Auror Sirius Black and convince him that there is a new development in our missing son's case."

Lily looked at her husband with relief. She kissed his cheek and said, "You haven't spoken to him in ages. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"For Harry," he nodded. Then, the light in his eyes dimmed further. "Also, I need to mend some bridges that should never have been broken. We have been invited by him and his fiancée to the Greengrass Manor for Christmas Eve dinner. I was going to politely refuse but…"

"Let's go for it," said Lily, taking James' hands. "I have a good feeling about it."

Nodding, James apparated to the Burrow, reflecting on how close their families had become. Neville and Ron were very close friends, while Lily relied greatly on Molly during her emotional relapses when James wasn't around. James waved from outside when Molly Weasley's face appeared at the window. Within moments, the door opened and James walked in.

"I hope Neville behaved himself, Molly?" he asked.

"As usual, Neville was a perfect angel until he was led astray by Fred and George," Molly said.

James stifled a chuckle. "What did they do this time?"

Molly shrugged it aside. "Nothing serious or bad or worrying. Just some childish pranks." She grinned. "Although, when Ginny became upset with the prank, Neville told the twins off and apologized very sweetly. He was a right gentleman."

"Dad!"

James grinned at his adopted son. "Ready to go back home, sport? I have some work at the Ministry until late." He frowned at Neville's reluctant expression, as he glanced back at Ron and the twins. Sighing, he turned to Molly. "Looks like the kids haven't finished yet. Molly, can I impose on you -"

"Oh, don't be silly, James!" Molly exclaimed. "Neville can stay as long as he want. I'll fetch Lily and we'll make a nice dinner, while you and Arthur finish work."

-----

Sirius Black was surprised. He turned eagerly to his assistant, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and nodded. "Don't be standing there, Kingsley, show Mr. Potter inside!" But he himself got up simultaneously. "Never mind." Walking to the door, he threw it open, and saw his childhood friend staring at him.

"James," Sirius whispered.

James Potter smiled ruefully. "May I come in, Sirius?"

Sirius jumped back, realizing he had frozen in his place. He showed James to a seat. "Can I offer you a drink? Tea, Coffee?"

"Do you have anything stronger?" James enquired. "The snow has chilled me to the bone."

Sirius nodded. "Kingsley, some brandy please." They both sat and stared at each other in silence while the assistant to the Chief Auror poured to glasses of the liquor. "Pour yourself some too," Sirius muttered. "Shut the door on your way out. I don't want to be disturbed."

James took a sip, his gaze falling to the desk. "Busy time, huh?"

"You bet," said Sirius. "I'm taking the whole fortnight off from Monday till the New Year."

James smiled softly. "So you and Betty McKinnon?"

"She goes by Elizabeth Greengrass nowadays," Sirius returned.

"Not for long, I suppose," said James. "Elizabeth Black… it does have a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

Sirius snorted but shook his head. "She's keeping her name. Her elder daughter is a bit…" Sirius paused. "Daphne was against the whole idea from the start." James raised an eyebrow. "But we've become great friends lately and she doesn't mind it so much now. Betty promised her she wouldn't change their names, and I'll move in, instead of they moving out. I don't mind really."

James hesitated. "Sirius," he began. "Padfoot… I'm sorry, I haven't been the best of friends to you. How can I ever ask you to forgive -"

"Don't Prongs!" Sirius cut in sharply. "Please don't apologize." A dark look entered his face. "It might not have been intentional but I did make a terrible mistake that night that caused great pain to you and Lily. Lily's face from that night still haunts me to this day. Your wish to stay away was fully justified. I'm just glad you are here now."

James didn't reply for a long time. Finally, he said, "We never blamed you and I think you know that. There was just too much… too much going on… Lily's pain was too much for me to handle… I had to be strong for her… the betrayal of Remus and Peter…"

"James, you don't have to explain anything," Sirius said firmly. "The fact that you are here now, perhaps to accept my Christmas Eve invitation - ?" He looked hesitantly at James, who smiled. "Good. That's enough."

James raised his glass and both friends toasted the rebirth of their friendship.

"How are the girls? You mentioned Daphne. What about the second daughter?" said James.

"Astoria," Sirius replied, with a bright smile. "She's a delightful girl." His smile dimmed. "Birth complications and premature conception has left her weak and incapable of speech." James looked at him sympathetically. "But Prongs," he said thoughtfully, "there is so much life in her! She is the most vibrant and lively person I've met! An angel, if I ever saw one."

"Your new family sounds wonderful," said James. "I can't wait for Christmas Eve!"

"Oh, look at me!" Sirius chided himself. "I'm being so selfish. How's Lily holding up? How's Neville?"

James was about to return a polite answer but hesitated. He took a deep breath. "I'm worried, Padfoot." Sirius' face became full of concern. "Even after all these years, we're still unable to let go of Harry." He sighed, it was finally out in the open. "Just now as well, I was right outside your office when Lily urgently called me home."

Sirius remained silent.

"She said she got a feeling, a premonition, some sort of intuition, a conviction - yes, a conviction - that Harry's alive," James rambled. "I'm troubled, Sirius, because I got it too. That very same instant."

Sirius' eyes widened.

"It has happened several times," continued James. "But it is always stronger with Lily. Today, she was almost prepared to leave home and hunt for Harry all by herself."

Sirius sighed. "Where would she start looking?"

"That's precisely why I am not looking for him," James muttered. "I convinced Lily to stay with Neville." Sirius nodded. "I know this is against Ministry guidelines, as Harry's been missing for more than seven years -"

"Consider it done," Sirius stated. "I'll get some of my best people working on it." His optimism faltered. "Although, there is very little to work on… James, don't get your hopes up."

James shook his head. "It's not about hope. It hasn't been for quite some time," he said ruefully. "This is about closure. Thanks, Padfoot." James smiled.

Sirius looked out the window at the heavy snowfall. "What happened, James? We were so… untouchable, unbeatable, we were the mighty Marauders… always so wild and free. Look at us now. One, in Azkaban; another, out of touch and he better stay that way; and the two of us, at tenterhooks with each other."

James finished his brandy. "Tomorrow night, then. We don't need a full moon or Lupin to be wild and free, do we? Let's let Prongs and Padfoot relive old times again!"

Sirius turned his head from the depressing sight outside the window and to his friend. They both had identical grins on their faces.

-----

Elizabeth smiled. Her younger daughter, Astoria, had a much broader than usual smile on her face. She had been beginning to get worried about Astoria and her worsening mood. Even her garden failed to make her happy, but that had changed a couple of days ago. Astoria had left the house sullenly but returned a few hours later with a massive smile on her face. Since that day, the little girl had been insistent about having her meals in her garden.

Once again, Elizabeth observed fondly as her daughter grabbed her picnic basket from its corner in the kitchen and dropped half a loaf of bread and some cheese inside. Chuckling, Elizabeth left her tea and placed some fruits and a bottle of spiced apple juice as well. It was a cold December afternoon and Elizabeth tightened the coat around her daughter, before kissing her forehead.

"Run along, baby, but be back if it gets too cold."

Elizabeth watched Astoria rush outside before realizing that her fiancé had arrived from the floo and was observing her. Smiling, she walked over to him for a quick hug.

"The Potters will be joining us for dinner tomorrow," Sirius Black said, as he poured himself a cup of tea.

"That's great!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "It will be good for Daphne and Draco to meet Neville before they start Hogwarts. What changed Mr. Potter's mind?"

Sirius sighed. "I think it's been coming for sometime. I'm glad, but I don't know how I'll ever be able to face Lily."

"Shush," Elizabeth said softly. "It wasn't your fault."

Sirius smiled ruefully but didn't argue with her. "I see Astoria's gotten over whatever had been bugging her."

"Yes, and I'm so glad. I was getting very worried about her. Apparently, she's got herself a new invisible friend," said Elizabeth.

Sirius chuckled. "Who's it this time? And whatever happened to Monty the invisible python?"

"Monty hurt a rabbit," said Elizabeth, "and that's why Astoria was annoyed with Monty. Her new friends are a unicorn and a boy."

Sirius blinked for a few seconds before laughing. "A boy! You can tell she's starting to grow up!"

"Yes, and I am so glad there won't be any Blacks or Potters let loose in Hogwarts when she goes there!"

Sirius' face fell slightly, he stood up and sighed. "There should have been a Potter going to Hogwarts next September."

Elizabeth gazed slightly as her fiancé fought against the demons of his past, as he gazed outside the window into the surprisingly bright December day.


End file.
